More on the table runner a bit later as there is a hidden surprise that I need to say more about.

Classes to attend and guests to host

DAM interior

A trip to the DAM with Guest lecturer Thomas Knauer.
My car was packed and ready to go. Took only essential quilting supplies and inspiration. Sewing machine,-check; awesome up cycled mail bag by Hillary (entropyalwayswins)- check; personal quilt by Whitney (scrappy_lamm)- check. (Doesn't everyone travel with their own personal quilt made just for them by a dear, dear friend??)

And more classes to attend

I'd ask Santa to let me quilt like Angela Walters for Christmas, but I know THAT'S not gonna happen.

And quilts to make

A pale to gray and white-on-white wonder for my special girl. There are several metallic fabrics and metallic threads will be featured heavily in the quilting. More later……

Saturday, November 22, 2014

There has been lots of talk about binding lately. Debbie (A Quilters Table) has done a remarkable job of collecting and sorting all things binding. There are dozens of binding techniques out there. so many to choose from. For me, I'm just happy to be binding. It means I'm on the home-stretch, almost done and it's literally palpable. I've made bias binding, pieced binding, gradient binding and even tried (on small projects) faced "binding".
Often, I want the quilt to look cohesive, to have a binding that it well executed but camouflaged. I have used bindings to literally match the negative space on my quilts and even pulled in tiny (less than 1/4") pieces of color to make the quilt design appear to bleed to the edges.

But lately, I've wanted the binding to be boulder. That thing on a quilt that drew your eye and made you wonder. Can I do that? The binding is such a small quilting detail but it is what wraps the quilt up, signifying both an ending(quilt finish) and also a beginning (quilt ready for gifting).

I had the pleasure of making a store sample for Fabricate Boulder- a class I will be teaching. It's a medium sized project and it was the perfect opportunity to try "the binding". (The on line tutorial for the string pieced blocks can be found here).

The binding was done in the same fabric as the sashing, a beautiful solid eggplant purple.

I used 5 different threads quilting the project top. The piecing is busy and the colored threads really made the quilting both stand out and blend at the same time. I applied the same quilting to a 2" straight-of-grain same colored binding. I even added one line of metallic silver. I used a deep purple in the bobbin only changing the thread colors on one side of the binding. After "quilting" the binding I applied it like I always do, simple and straight forward. It actually went on beautifully acting as a single piece of fabric instead of a folded piece.

I used a walking foot to keep fabric movement to a minimum. Folded edge to the left

even at a distance you can "see" the binding

I think having the binding both blend and pop really makes this quilted piece fun. The binding gets to be the thing you notice, wonder how it got that way, make you ponder your next project. Just what I was hoping would happen.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

A, (I thought at the time), well thought out, sketched, documented, photographed, fabric especially selected project. I had a plan. I had the perfect fabrics, I even sketched out and thought about piecing the top so I wouldn't get myself into any "y" seaming "situations" and I almost pulled it all off. Almost, almost.

"25 hugs and a kiss"

Front, you don't notice the binding because it changes color with the quilt top.

Fabrics (back): 108" wide, Spot on by Robert Kaufman in gray. And an "orphan" hug block from the front. Couldn't help it, HAD to use the left over block even thought the beautiful wide fabric of the backing seemed to be screaming to be left alone.

Back

orphan block pieced into quilt back

Threads: Changed, top to bottom to compliment the deepening background piecing that was happening on the pieced top. All Aurifil 50 wt. mako cotton in 2630, 2612, 2600, 2605, 1198, 4241 and 2021. (Literally the gray scale spectrum from white to black).

Ideas, lessons learned etc., etc. - the final idea is that for this quilt, the quilting style, the thread selection and the pieced binding don't stand out on their own. They repeat, and reinforce the process of the light to dark gradation of the quilt top. Having those elements align make the top a cohesive statement, each part complimenting but not competing with the overall design. The binding, and the threads and the actual quilting was not a preplanned part of this quilt. When I was sketching and fabric buying I wasn't even considering how to finish the quilt. I only had the top in mind. I just love as you create how something that was unknown becomes clear. And with clarity comes completion.

2014 has been a journey of epic proportions for me so far. I have much to do in 2015. I hope it's at least as much fun and fulfilling as 2014 has been.

Birthday Bandy swap for Raquel. I really enjoyed making these tote bags and using some really fun little fabric scraps.

Haven at Do.Good stitches- October paper pieced arrow blocks. This quilt is going to be beautiful and I can't wait to see it done.

there are 11 blocks because I had a paper piecing moment on one of them…..

Lastly, Halloween….. it almost snuck up on me….. I will be on a plane on Halloween but thought it would be fun to leave behind treats for my family while I was away. These cute little drawstring bags in fun Halloween fabrics seemed like just the thing. The pattern is by s.o.t.a.k handmade.

Zombie fabric and jars with "ghoulish" stuff in them….. bring on Halloween!
Fabrics by Riley Blake and Michael Miller

Beginning the Christmas crafting/sewing. I think this year, warm flannel pillow cases are on order. I'm not sure why I haven't gifted these before. Especially good for college students because we all know how much they wash their sheets!

And lastly, a fun trip to the International Quilt Festival in Houston TX. More to come on this later…. or just check out the photos on my IG feed @spontaneousthreads

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